Yes, still focusing on life. Hoʻōla is to cause life. See it in there? Ola. And if you are a He Momi regular, you remember hoʻo– a causative…basically causing the base word’s action (put the word that follows it into action). Because ola starts with a vowel the hoʻo– gets shortened to ho- and the kahakō (macron) then goes on the first vowel of the base word. Sound confusing? Sorry. Just roll with it.

So if ola is life and hoʻo/ho– is a causative, then hoʻōla basically means “to cause life”, as in to save, heal, cure.

He ʻuala ka ʻai hoʻōla koke i ka wī – The sweet potato is the food that ends famine quickly.

While kalo (taro) is the main staple for Hawaiians, the ʻuala (sweet potato) can grow in drier conditions (mahalo to Molokaʻi for all the ʻuala you share in the islands) and can produce in a shorter amount of time (kalo can take upwards of a year or more to mature).

Sending out prayers for healing to those who need it: physically, spiritually and mentally. Ola!